The following entry comes from Tyler Maas
With half the season in the books and the All-Star break within a stone's throw, it's almost acceptable for baseball fans to begin their other pastime - scoreboard watching.
Sure, there are already five teams with double-digit deficits in their respective divisions, and players on the Mariners and Nationals can safely begin making non-occupational plans for October. But as a whole, one great or terrible week of play against a divisional foe could do volumes to catapult a cellar-dweller within grasp of the division lead or topple a leader’s likelihood of maintaining its first place standing.
This week, the first full week of the season’s latter half, three division leaders will face off against their closest competition in the standings.
Tampa Bay vs. Boston
The surprise Rays and defending champ Red Sox have been taking turns holding the AL East torch all season. With Tampa again in the driver’s seat, Justin Masterson and the Wild Card leader BoSox hope to vanquish the half game margin Monday, and reclaim the lead as the series wraps up Wednesday.
Masterson will face off against James Shields Monday. Tim Wakefield and Matt Garza will battle it out Tuesday and Daisuke Matsuzaka takes on Scott Kazmir in the series finale.
Los Angeles vs. Oakland
After dropping two straight to the Giants this weekend the Athletics travel to Anaheim looking to shorten the 4.5 game gap that now separates them from the Halos.
Greg Smith and Jon Garland go in the first game Monday, Ervin Santana and the red hot Rich Harden take the rubber Tuesday. The series wraps up Wednesday with Oakland’s Dana Eveland and AL win leader Joe Saunders.
St. Louis vs. Chicago
On the National League side of things, the Wild Card-leading Cardinals host the Central leader Cubs in a three-game weekend series. Both teams have scuffled of late, due primarily to injury and an exit from their previously cushy schedules.
Braden Looper and Carlos Zambrano, who looks to bring fireworks in his July 4th return from a shoulder injury, will set the series in motion Friday. Kyle Lohse and Ted Lilly go Saturday, while Todd Wellemeyer and ex Cardinal Jason Marquis round out the series on Sunday.
There’s a lot of season left, but each game that elapses en route to season’s end means exceedingly more – especially when the teams competing sit one and two in their division.
Chase Utley's Phillies may be slumping but the second baseman is still the leading vote-getter in all of baseball followed by Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez who is the top vote-getter in the American League. Utley and A-Rod lead an All-Star voting race that is tightening at a number of positions across the NL and AL. With a few days left to vote Online there are still a number of tight races that are too close to call. Here is a look at the races both decided and up-for-grabs in the 2008 All-Star voting race:
Boston's Kevin Youkilis (1,915,376) leads Minnesota's Justin Morneau (1,641,467) by less than 300,000 votes in the AL. Youkilis is hitting .313 with 13 homers and 50 RBI while Morneau is at .306 with 12 homers and 63 RBI. Youkilis would be making his first All-Star appearance if he can hold off Morneau who has made one All-Star appearance.
Boston's Dustin Pedroia (1,669,216) is being challenged by Texas' Ian Kinsler (1,485,350) who is less than 200,00 votes behind the Red Sox second baseman in the AL. Pedroia is hitting .304 with eight home runs, 37 RBI, 53 runs scored and is 9-for-9 on steal attempts while enjoying the Red Sox Nation boost. Kinsler is hitting .323 with 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 71 runs scored and is 20-for-21 on steal attempts. Both Pedroia and Kinsler are seeking their first All-Star appearance.
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is a lock to nail down the starting job here. With 2,518,067 votes, A-Rod leads Boston's Mike Lowell (1,313,090) by over 1.2 million votes. This will be the 12th All-Star appearance for Rodriguez who is hitting .322 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI through Sunday.
Another Yankee likely to get the starting nod at shortstop as New York's Derek Jeter (2,507,534) leads Texas' Michael Young (1,478,823) by over 1 million votes. Jeter trails A-Rod for the top spot in the AL by less than 11,000 votes. Jeter is hitting .284 with four home runs and 47 runs scored and is headed for his ninth All-Star appearance and third consecutive starting nod courtesy of the fans.
Another race too close to call in the AL is between Minnesota's Joe Mauer (1,632,338) and Boston's Jason Varitek (1,487,390). Mauer leads by less than 150,000 votes and must hold off Varitek to get his second All-Star nod. Mauer is hitting .321 and on pace for career highs in runs scored and doubles. Varitek, a former two-time All-Star, is hitting .225 with seven home runs and 25 RBI and would be an unlikely candidate for a backup spot. 
Boston's Manny Ramirez (2,409,388)and Texas' Josh Hamilton (2,327,467) have All-Star bids locked down while Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki (1,397,460) must hold off five players within 400,000 votes of the third spot. Chasing Ichiro are Los Angeles' Vladimir Guerrero (1,187,273), New York's Bobby Abreu (1,141,618) and Johnny Damon (1,104,990), Boston's J.D. Drew (1,134,658) and Texas' Milton Bradley (1,058,985). Ramirez will be headed to his 12th All-Star appearance and is the owner of a .289 average with 16 home runs and 52 RBI. Hamilton is having a huge year and will be making his first All-Star appearance. He is 10th in the AL in batting average at .312 and leads the AL in homers with 19 and RBI with 79. Ichiro is in jeopardy of not making the All-Star team for the first time in his eight year Major League career. Ichiro is hitting .297 with 57 runs scored and 33 steals and would be one of a few worthy candidates should he fall out of the top three in votes.
In the NL, four candidates are in the running for three spots. Chicago's Alfonso Soriano (2,120,635) leads Cincinnati's Ken Griffey Jr. (1,917,739) and Chicago's Kosuke Fukudome (1,783,983) while Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (1,751,058) is on the outside looking in by the narrowest of margins of all the runner-up candidates. Soriano is hitting .283 with 15 homers and 40 RBI and is in line for his seventh All-Star appearance where he is 5-for-14 with three home runs in six games. Griffey is living on his reputation as his .234 average and nine homers are not strong enough to get him his 14th All-Star nod if it were not for the votes. Rookie Cubs outfielder Fukudome and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Braun will be the tightest race as the voting comes to an end. Fukudome's .297 average, six homers and 55 RBI might not be good enough to land him his first All-Star appearance should he come up short in the voting. Braun, also seeking his first All-Star selection, is hitting .287 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI.
Boston's David Ortiz (2,482,981) leads New York's Hideki Matsui (1,567,847) by nearly one million votes. Both players are currently on the DL and it is unlikely that Ortiz will be back in time for the All-Star despite the likely fan selection. Ortiz is hitting .252 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 54 games and has not played since May 31.